Hale87

I was wondering about a " good load" for my new Traditions Eveloution Premier. I started out with a .410 grain Buffalo bullet with 120 grains of triple seven. Well,,,,,,, that didn' t work so good. I shot about a 12" group at 35 yards. I should say that I' m a PA flintlock guy going on his first trip to Colorado for elk next month. I' ve hunted for 30 years, but never with an inline. I called Traditions, and the rep told me that gun was built with sabots in mind, that' s great for me. I also called Powerbelt, and they suggested something around a 90 grain charge with a .444 grain flat point bullet. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hale87

Sorry, I forgot the caliber. 50

whitetails & muskies

Hale...I shoot a .50 caliber Traditions in-line and will also be in Colorado next month chasing elk and mulies. My buddies and I have been plunking quite a bit lately. A very good load is " about" 100gr of 777, 2F with a 348 gr. Aero tip Powerbelt. I am certainly no expert, but was told be the Hogdon rep and another indvidual who has downed several elk with this load, that this is a very reliable and frequently used combination. The " about" part is firearm dependant....90 - 110 seems to be the sweet spot. Too much of a charge and the bullets start to get a little out of line.

trac209

Were you cleaning between every few shots,because that can effect the bullet somewhat.Is this the first outing because the barrel may need a little seasoning before the accuracy is there.Try a smaller load, of say 90 gr bp and a 245gr bullet and clean the barrel every shot.My experiance is that once the barrel is broken in you will see a change in performance.Hope this helps.

Hale87

W&M' s, you sound a lot like the Powebelt guy. When I get my rifle back I' m going to try that. I failed to tell you in the first post the other troubles I encountered. With my first shot, the recoil chipped off a piece of the laminated stock. Then when I went to clean it, I was unable to get the breech plug out. I had disassembled it when I first purchased it. I felt it had an adequate amount of anti seize on it, and didn' t add any to it before replacing it. Guess I was wrong. My brother had done the same thing and he didn' t have the problems that I encountered. Before everyone starts to think I' m a real dope, they should know that I started back in probably Feb. trying to buy my firearm so I could practice all summer long. Well,,,,,,,, my buddy, the Traditions rep in the area told me to wait until this new model came out. I remember when he told me " Dean, don' t worry you' ve been hunting your entire life, this isn' t going to be a concern." Yeah right. When I purchased my 300 win mag a number of years ago for a trip to BC moose hunting. I practiced multiple times a week, six months in advance at long range shooting. Trac209, yes I was cleaning it in three shot patterns. That' s also something the Powerbelt guy mentioned. He said that a lot of the times those powerbelts will shot better out of a dirty gun. And no we didn' t wait five minutes between shots, but that would be next if I ever get that close! Thanks guys for the help.

eldeguello

Hey, Hale. I' m shooting 90 grains of Pyrodex P in my Traditions .50 Lightning lightweight with Powerbelt 295-grain bullets, and it shoots pretty tight at 100 yards. I think your choice of a 400+ grain Powerbelt will be great. Start with 80 grains and work up. 777 is about 20% more powerful than Pyrodex! As you know, in CO you have to use a full bore-size bullet. I think sabots suck!!

BTW, there' s nothing wrong with shooting an elk with your flintlock, if it shoots better for you!!!

Hale87

Thanks guys. I' ve spent the last couple of weeks trying to figure this thing out. I even called CVA to ask them what they thought. What a great guy I encountered there. His name is Dave, and I would recommend him to anyone looking for advice. I even bought a gun for my son by the time I was done. He believes a lot of my problems are coming from the 3f. He thinks it' s too hot of a load. He also guaranteed that rifle that I purchased to shoot two inch groups at a hundred yards, or send it back. That' s the kind of things I wanted to hear from Traditions. Thanks again.

eldeguello

Well, you can' t beat that kind of a guarantee![8D]